A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words
by wherewulf
Summary: What would you do if someone had drawn pictures of everything you ever did... and then you found more pictures of yourself that you didn't recognize? The cast of "Avatar: the Last Airbender" find out.
1. Chapter 1

In 2008 just before "Finale Week" of ATLA's Season 3, I wondered what the characters of Avatar would think if they discovered they were cartoon characters. I didn't finish that thought all the way, but I did get to thinking about how they'd feel if they discovered someone had drawn out their past, present, and future. I think Chaka's interest in Heroes at the time had something to do with it—a story she'd written, I think, about the artist in that show who could paint the future.

In any case, this is the result. :D Hope you like it.

_Avatar: the Last Airbender _is the property of Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and by extension of Nickelodeon and its various associated companies. My complete thanks once again to Messrs. DiMartino and Konietzko for sharing such a wonderful creation with us.

* * *

_**A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words…**_

"This doesn't exactly look like the Western Air Temple, Sokka."

"Well, how was I to know Aang was going to fall asleep, Katara? Somebody had to guide Appa!"

"He kinda had a long day?"

"Oh, and _I_ haven't?"

"That's okay, Katara. I'm sure Sokka was using his instincts. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't. Besides, I had to sleep sometime."

"Oh, I don't know. It looks like the Western Air Temple to me!"

Silence.

"Ha ha ha, Toph. Thank you, _very_ much."

Somehow you could just hear the grin.

The Gaang made their way down a dark hallway toward a dim light up ahead, exploring as they went. What they saw was unfamiliar, and amazing. A rug, a single rug of unchanging color, spread evenly on the floor. Wooden frames holding glass and drawings of people—but the drawings were so clear and… lifelike. Like they were the people they were looking at, looking in a pond. Wooden desks with strange boxes on them, some with panes of glass in them, and strange ropes hanging from them that were attached to the wall somehow. It was very strange.

They reached the light… and came into another room. And this one…

There were lots of chairs in neat even rows. Large pieces of paper were attached to the walls and had… drawings on them. Of some sort. They were very rough, not at all like what they had seen in the hallway. And yet…

Katara looked around. "What is this place?"

"I don't know," said Sokka. He looked again at the drawings. "These things have to have some meaning."

Toph turned. "Things? What things?"

Aang peered closer. "But why are they on the wall?"

"_What_ things?"

Katara looked, and saw... arrows. Arrows showing movement, arrows showing the rush of air, arrows on—

She gasped.

Aang's and Sokka's heads whipped around. "What?"

She pointed. "Aang… is that… _you?_"

They looked. It was rough, but there was enough detail to tell that that was Aang, looking back at them from the picture.

"_Me_… but… why?"

"Okay, guys…" Now Toph was really annoyed. "I'm in the dark here… literally… _what_ is _on_ the _wall?!_"

"Sorry, Toph." Katara looked sheepish. "There are drawings on the wall. One of them looks like Aang."

"_Aang?_ Why?"

"And here's you, and me, and… Dad…" Sokka slowed to a stop. "The invasion. The whole thing. Our every move… everything we did, every last thing…" He threw a fist down. "No _wonder_ Azula knew! It's all here!" He hung his head. "Every last thing."

"No… wait, Sokka. She didn't know. At least if she did, someone else knew, too." Katara pointed at another set of drawings. "She's here. And Zuko, and Ty Lee, and Mai."

Sokka came over and looked. "Yeah." He looked closer. "Hmm. Ty Lee in a—what is that exactly?" He looked even closer.

Toph pushed him away from the drawings. "Something you shouldn't be looking at, mister."

Sokka blushed. "I wasn't looking at _that!_ I was just wondering… what kind of clothing that was."

"Uh-huh." Toph smirked.

Katara folded her arms with a small smile of her own. "Nothing you haven't seen me in before."

"That's _different!_" Sokka turned back to Toph. "And how would you know what I was looking at?"

Toph just tapped over her heart, and smiled.

"Hey, guys…?" Aang motioned them over. "Look at this."

Katara recognized it at once. And shivered. "Hama."

Sokka walked farther down. "Piando. Dock."

"I found On Ji!" called Aang.

"On Ji." Katara frowned.

"Everything we've been doing for the last… few months…" Sokka's eyes widened. "In drawings. But why? And who?"

"But these are just drawings." Katara shrugged. "What's the harm?"

"I don't know. I just don't like it."

They stood there for a moment, thinking.

Katara did some more looking around. "Look. There are more drawings."

"More?" Sokka came over.

Aang looked too. "I see us, and Appa, but… I don't recognize a thing. Except… that is the Western Air Temple."

"See?" Sokka gestured. "I _was_ leading us the right way."

Katara sniffed. "Says you."

"But that's where we're going." Aang looked a little closer. "Where we _are_ going."

"And there's… _Zuko?_"

That got everyone's attention.

"Could this be the future?"

"Naaaah." But even then, Sokka looked. "Couldn't be…"

They looked. And couldn't believe their eyes.

They heard a noise. "Someone's coming."

"We'd better go." Sokka started herding them toward the exit.

Aang lingered.

"Come on, Aang!"

"I know, I know. We don't want to get caught by the Fire Nation." But then Aang's eyes caught another scene, toward the end. He saw himself, and… and…

His eyes widened. And then he grinned. As wide as he did after hearing Aunt Wu, months and months ago.

"Come on, Aang!"

He took one last glance, and then left.

Sokka saw his grin. "So what'd you see?"

"Oh… some stuff." Aang kept grinning. "You'll find out."

"Aw, man! Come on, tell me!"

Aang just grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

Anyone for seconds? XD

I started this one before Finale Week and finished it during the Week; I kinda figured that during the tumult then this would get lost, so I held off on putting it out until well after. I'll admit, too, that it goes to a different place than the real story goes, but not too far off.

So... please enjoy.

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_**Part 2**_

Zuko catfooted along the dark corridor. Step... by soft step... by soft step...

If nothing else, exile had taught him stealth.

He blessed the shadows. He had followed the Avatar here. He knew where the Western Air Temple was—and that this wasn't it. Yet if there were a chance to meet the Avatar and his group, talk to them before they got there, he'd take it. Still, _he_ wanted to choose the moment.

He had his swords with him, the hilts bound together with a piece of cloth so they wouldn't clink. He had thought about taking out of the scabbard, having them loose in his hands so they wouldn't make noise, but he meant to come in peace. The last thing he wanted to do was have his swords out, stumble upon the group, and then have someone make a cutting remark. That wouldn't be good.

So what was this place?

If this was a military outpost of some sort, it was a strange one. He saw the drawings on the wall... incredible quality, better than the best that the court artists could do. He did see some logos, some insignia, but they weren't Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom or anything he recognized. One logo looked like an orange splotch of _something_, there was a lot of that... and then there was one orange splotch with a red circle and bar over it. He grinned. _That_ he got the meaning of, real clear.

He entered another room at the end of the hallway... and found rows and rows of chairs, regimented and orderly, in the middle of the room. And... drawings. Rough drawings, in squares.

Could this be _another_ Air Temple? And this, some... battle plan?

Zuko shook his head. No, that didn't make sense.

He drew closer to the drawings. He did see arrows indicating movement. Movement of people, things... and...

His eyes widened. He jerked back—and his swords clanked. Grabbing at them made another clank-clink-clink until he had them stilled, along with himself.

The boy with the arrow on his head was clearly the Avatar, with his companions around him, but—what on earth was _he_ doing in there?!

He looked again... and sure enough, there he was... and with Mai. Aboard the Fire Nation vessel carrying them home on that moonlit night.

His thoughts went black. "_Who_...?"

And then, another frame. He saw Azula. In the drawing, bothering Mai and him under the tree.

His eyes went wide. "What... _how_?"

He looked on. His glorious presentation and homecoming... going about town with Mai... reading Sozin's scrolls... and not just what _he_ did, but... the Avatar, too...

Everything.

Everything recorded in detail that couldn't be gleaned from just talk.

He looked around, still wide-eyed. _What_ is _this place? And who... who_ did _this?_

The scroll... the one he wrote for Mai. The confrontation with his father...

That scroll...

He went back to the one of him writing his farewell scroll to Mai, and paused. And exhaled softly. "I wish I'd had more time. More time to tell you. To talk to you. To tell you why... myself. But I didn't. No time..." He clenched his fist.

Zuko bowed his head, and stood there. A moment passed.

A drop of water fell, and splashed on the rug.

"Did you think about it this time?"

Zuko whirled, reached for his swords. There was a cloaked, hooded figure sitting in the back of the room.

"Who are you?" he barked.

The figure rose. "I realize I must be different in appearance, but I was not aware my voice had changed." The hood was thrown back.

Zuko looked. The dim light didn't help. Then he brightened. "_Uncle!_" He ran to Iroh. The older man was clad in gray and brown rags, but otherwise looked fine. Zuko hugged him, and Iroh returned it. "You look—" Then he noticed Iroh's physique. And patted his shoulder. "—more... _muscular?_"

Iroh chuckled. "As you have noticed, Zuko, the cuisine at the prison is not the same as the palace. And the Fire Lord does not provide for the entertainment of his 'guests'." He looked away. "Except in... other ways."

"It's so good to see you! I can't believe—but—why are you here?"

"I think that is a question I should be asking _you_."

"I was following the Avatar. He came here. And I was wondering... what this place is. It's one of the strangest I've ever seen. Those pictures... on the wall... they show everything I've done—everything we've done. For months. And I don't know who, or how, or..."

"I see you did not look at the rest of the drawings."

"Yeah." Zuko looked at the wall. "One of them caught my eye."

"Prince Zuko: you have a rare opportunity in front of you. Many can say they have a record of the past. Very few, if any, have one... of the future."

"The _future?_" His eyes widened. "How?"

"I cannot tell you. But I must ask you, Zuko—" Iroh looked him in the eye. "—why are you here?"

"I'm—following the Avatar."

"Why?"

"To—to join him. I want to help him."

"_Why?_"

"Because it's the right thing to do!" Zuko slammed back, no hesitation now. "I saw, when I was with you, what the world looks like now, thanks to my father. Thanks to my grandfather. Thanks to my _great_-grandfather! Well—one of them. I've seen enough. It's time to end this. To end this war. The Avatar can do it. And I... I'm going to help him. Do it."

Zuko looked at his uncle, calmer now. "I think the Avatar doesn't know how to firebend yet. If I could teach him, even just get him started, it would be something." He looked down. "To begin to repay the debt I owe, along with that of the Fire Nation itself. I don't have the details worked out, I admit, but—" He looked at Iroh. "—But the Avatar could learn from _you!_ You taught me! You could teach him far more!"

"No."

"No?" Zuko frowned, raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"You are right, nephew. That is something I _could_ do. But... that is not what I _need_ to do. I am needed in another place. And unfortunately, that place is not by your side, now."

Zuko's face fell. "You're not coming with me."

"No. I will rejoin you. But not now. For your safety, I cannot explain. And for the safety of... others."

Iroh walked back toward the drawings. "Let me tell you something, Zuko. You are a fine warrior. There is no question. In body and in mind, there are few that can match you. But I can tell you this about your destiny. You are not meant to be just a warrior."

Iroh folded his arms into his robes. "You see, a warrior usually thinks about just one battle. This one. A general thinks about this battle, and what it means... for this battle, for the next one, and for the one after that. You must think about what happens next. You know this to be a problem." Zuko nodded.

"A general, if they are wise, also studies the ground on which they must fight." Iroh gestured at the board. "In a way, this is a map. It is wise to know where you are going."

Zuko looked at the drawings... and marveled. And winced. And stared at one point—then winced some more. And at the end, he looked, and smiled. And grinned.

There was a noise. "Go!" said Iroh. "Hurry!"

"Good luck, Uncle! I'll see you again soon!" Zuko made to leave. But before he did, he went to the last drawing of Mai... and brushed her cheek. And smiled. "Thank you." Then he left.

Iroh took his time leaving. And before _he_ did, he found a pencil, went to a drawing of Ozai, and with two strokes, drew a very elegant—and very out of place—mustache.


	3. Chapter 3

In February of 2009, a plotbunny bit me again (you know how that happens) and I got the idea of bringing both parts together... so I did. The Finale at the end of the show seemed just the place for such a gathering, so here we are.

Thanks again for reading. :D

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**Epilogue**

The Gaang (and friends) were relaxing at their house in Ba Sing Se, several months after the end of the war. Zuko had been serving tea, but now Toph had a hold of the pot. She was Earthbending the teapot into various shapes, all the while carefully keeping the tea inside without spilling a drop. The teapot was now in the shape of a long, hollow, squiggly noodle. Suki had asked to see some of Mai's throwing knives and was admiring them. Mai had a slight smile on her face.

Sokka had put his group portrait down and was playing Momo in _pai sho_. He frowned at Momo's latest move; Momo just beamed. Katara and Aang came in from the patio, hand in hand, looking very happy with themselves. Through it all, Iroh just kept playing on his tsungihorn.

Toph bent the teapot into a likeness of Zuko, with his mouth where the spout was supposed to be. Zuko snorted. "All right, all right." He got up.

"Wait! I was going to do Ozai next!" Toph put the Zuko-pot down. "I think he'd be _very_ good at serving tea now."

Iroh let out a _blort_ from the tsungihorn at that... but kept on playing.

Zuko walked over to Sokka's painting and looked at it.

Sokka noticed. "Ah! Come to admire again, huh?"

Zuko chuckled. "No. I'm trying to figure out where I am."

"You're _right here!_"

"So you say."

"Look, you're right _here_, right next to Mai."

"Really? That's Mai." Zuko looked closer. "I couldn't tell."

Sokka looked ready to erupt.

Zuko relented. "Actually, I can tell which one Mai is." He looked over at her. "She's the one with the smile."

"Oh, really?" said Mai. "I don't remember any smile." But she gave him one anyway.

Zuko continued to look at the painting.

"Oh, come on!" said Sokka. "My brush strokes aren't that bad."

"No, they're not. They're pretty good, actually." Zuko looked at Sokka. "I didn't know you drew."

"I will admit, I learned recently." Sokka stretched extravagantly. "I'm something of a quick study."

Zuko smiled. "_Very_ quick."

Sokka paused in his stretch, a slight frown on his face.

Zuko turned back to the drawing. "Still... there's something about this... the way you drew it..."

"What do you mean?"

Zuko pointed. "You didn't use fine lines. Everything's very... _im_precise, very fluid. Transient."

Sokka nodded. "My master was into impressions. Feeling, not precision."

"I feel it. And the arrows on Aang and Appa, they're blurred and smudged, not drawn in fine lines-wait a minute." Zuko's eyes narrowed. "The arrows... where have I seen-" Then they went wide. He looked again. "The drawings... the drawings on the wall-"

"Drawings? What drawings?"

He looked at Sokka. "After your attack on the capital, you flew on Appa to the Western Air Temple. I followed you. Only you didn't go there directly. You stopped at a strange place. I stopped there, too, hoping to catch up with you there... There was a room full of chairs, and drawings. Drawings a lot like this one. Not precise, but showing action, and movement. Drawings of _us_." Sokka's eyes went wide. "Everything we did. Everything-and so complete that it made you wonder if someone was watching-"

"Watching us," Sokka said at the same time. "I remember. Boy, do I remember." He looked down and laughed. "We had this perfect plan, I thought, attacking the Fire Lord during the eclipse, the Day of Black Sun-and then the whole thing was on paper. The whole thing. Somebody knew. Only... it wasn't Azula. It showed what she was doing too. And it wasn't your dad-I don't think-"

"No, it wasn't him, either." Zuko smirked. "If it was, he would have seen me redirecting his own lightning right back at him-blowing up his platform. And he would have seen-"

Zuko's eyes went wide again. "He would have known that I was at the Boiling Rock-and that Mai was going to-" He looked over at Mai. "-To-"

"Yeah... and they would've seen us coming to rescue Dad... and Suki... but wait a minute, wait a minute. That was on the _wall?_"

"Yes. It was." Zuko kept looking at Mai. "I had left a scroll for Mai, trying to explain what I was doing."

"And an eloquent job you did of it, too," Mai chimed in sarcastically, but with a smile.

"I know." Zuko smiled back warmly. "I remember wishing I had more time to explain, and I saw a drawing of you there, on the wall. Imprecise, but still you. I touched your cheek."

Sokka never thought he'd see Mai blush like that.

"I remember." Aang nodded. "I remember those drawings. There were drawings there of the Western Air Temple, a place we were going to. A place we had yet to be. And I saw pictures of you, there at the Temple." He looked at Katara out of the corner of his eye and smiled. "That's not all I saw."

Sokka saw the warm smile that Katara gave Aang in return, but something else was clamoring in his brain. "But who would make drawings-_of the future_-and then just leave them on the wall? And why? Assuming that these really were _of the future_."

"I know what I saw!" said Zuko. "I don't doubt my memory. Those things hadn't happened yet. Couldn't have. But I remember."

"I... have to agree, Sokka," said Aang. "I didn't remember before, but I do now. And I know what I saw, too."

"But then _who_?" said Katara. "We know it wasn't Azula, we know it wasn't Ozai, it wasn't any of us..."

At that, Iroh stopped playing his tsungihorn.

"You know, my friend Piandao is a man of many talents. In addition to being a magnificent swordsman and an excellent gardener, he is also well-skilled as a painter... and a draftsman."

They all stared at him.

"Uncle... you were in that strange room too. Why?"

Iroh just started playing his tsungihorn again.

Zuko came over and confronted him. "You _knew_ I was going to be there! You were there to meet me! Why?! You knew!"

Iroh didn't stop.

Zuko laughed and threw his hands out. "Uncle, please! Tell me _something!_ You know. Don't you?"

At that, Iroh did stop, and grinned. He reached into his pocket. "I want it back, please."

He flipped a disc to Zuko, who caught it-and looked at it.

"What is it?" asked Sokka.

After a moment, Zuko found his voice. "It's the white lotus tile... from _pai sho_."

Sokka stood there a moment himself, then dug into his own pocket-and brought out another white lotus tile. "Piandao... gave me this one."

They all looked at Iroh, who just smiled and kept on playing. And they couldn't help but wonder if there were lines and squares beneath their feet.


End file.
